Overall, I felt Professor Meranze was a very good teacher; the man is brilliant, but overall did an effective job teaching "at our level." Going into the course, I wasn't overly thrilled about the material, because that period of history is not my forte. Do NOT let this discourage you though! I learned SO much, and now approach the pre-Civil War era from a refreshed and more informed perspective; what I had previously considered a "bland" historical period I now feel re-energized about. Most of the books we read (Foner and Countryman) were fascinating at times. The only real complaint I had on the course was that the books hardly ever coincided with the lectures, which made the tests a little more difficult.

Also, my TA was Ben Nelson. Don't know if he is TAing next year, but if he is definitely try and get him. I met most of the TAs at one point or another and they all had very good reputations, but Ben was awesome. One of the best teachers I've ever had, period. And always willing to help.

I'd definitely recommend this course. If you go to lectures, attend discussion and study even just a moderate amount outside of class, you really shouldn't end up with anything less than a B.